


Stripes

by SharkGirl



Series: Cirque de Glace [2]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Circus, Cirque de Glace, Daredevil!Emil, First Meetings, M/M, Ringmaster!Victor, Stuntman!Otabek, Tamer!Yuri, circus AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-28
Updated: 2016-12-28
Packaged: 2018-09-12 19:45:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9087529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SharkGirl/pseuds/SharkGirl
Summary: Yuri knew that plastered-on smile well.  He was probably going to get scolded, but that was better than sitting through one of Victor’s long-ass, constructive criticism-filled, kumbaya morale-boosting gatherings.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! Yes, I'd already written part two before I posted part one of this series. I was super excited and happy to be able to write again after being away on vacation.
> 
> Let me start by saying that wild animals should be wild and not kept as pets. Yuri's lion and tigers seem very domesticated because they've been training with him for a long time. This is a world in which circus animals are treated kindly and are happy. Please keep that in mind.
> 
> Beta'd by the lovely indevan~  
> Special thanks to Niri for helping me pick out the tigers' names!! (see end notes for meanings)  
> Please enjoy!!

Yuri's phone went off again, but he ignored it.  He knew who the message was from.  Same as the last five he hadn’t bothered to read.  Mila could fill him in later.  For now, he wanted to rest after another flawless performance.

Well, nearly flawless.  The smell of burnt hair wafted under his nose as some of it fell into his face.  It was getting long, he supposed.  He’d need to do something before their next show.  But, apart from nearly setting himself on fire, his portion of the show had gone exceptionally well.  Even Niko had gotten the crowd onto their feet, the lazy good for nothing.

Niko, or Nikolai Plisetsky the Second, was Yuri’s lion and one of the most popular of Cirque de Glace’s attractions.  Though, the mighty beast was absolutely nothing like his namesake.  Yuri had named him after his grandfather because of the streaks of lighter fur in his mane that reminded him of the older man’s beard, but, after working with the oversized housecat on a daily basis, Yuri discovered that he had nothing in common with his hardworking grandpa.

But Niko did what he was supposed to do:  walk into the ring, step onto his podium, and, well, be a lion.  He had that down and the crowd loved him, so Yuri couldn’t really be upset.

However, the true stars of his act were his two Amur tigers.  The male, named Pasha, was currently lying on the ground behind Yuri, proving himself to be a wonderfully warm pillow.  He was large and powerful, but amazingly gentle, which made for a great snuggling partner.

Time and time again, Victor had asked Yuri not to bring his animals into his dressing room, but the tamer didn’t listen.  He knew that the accommodations in the large storage area that served as their kennel were top of line and quite comfortable, but they’d only just arrived at their current venue and, after being confined to crates during the caravan for their safety, it was only fair that Yuri give them free rein.

He would have let Niko out, as well, but the lazy bum simply yawned and turned away from him when he offered, so, in the end, only Pasha and Rayna followed him back to his room.  But the female tiger was currently missing in action.

“Where is Rayna?” Yuri mused, turning to face Pasha and, if tigers could shrug, he would have.

Yuri’s phone went off again, twice in a row, and he whipped his head toward it, getting another whiff of burnt hair.  Most people were surprised that he, too, performed tricks and jumped through flaming hoops.  But what kind of tamer would he be if he asked his tigers to do a stunt he wouldn’t do himself?

When his phone went off again, he gave up and reached over for it, Pasha giving a low whine when he pulled away.

“Sorry, Boy,” he apologized and scratched the tiger’s head while swiping to unlock his screen.  The first few messages were Mila reminding him that Victor had called a troupe meeting and then several more asking where he was.  He skimmed over them until he got to the most recent.

_‘Victor is pissed that you didn’t show up. Fake smile and everything.’_

He knew that plastered-on smile well.  He was probably going to get scolded, but that was better than sitting through one of the older man’s long-ass, constructive criticism-filled, kumbaya morale-boosting gatherings.

_‘The new guy’s pretty hot.’_

New guy?  Oh yeah.  Victor had said something about someone new joining their ranks.  Used to be a stuntman or something.  Whatever.

As he was reading his messages, he caught sight of his dressing room door swinging open.  A very proud Rayna padded in, all sleek movements, lean muscle flexing under her glossy coat.  She greeted her master with a soft head-butt to the elbow.

“Hey there, Girl.” Yuri set his phone down and stroked her fur.  “Where have you been?” he asked and then noticed something in her mouth.  It was some type of fabric, bright red with sequins and rhinestones.  “What have you been up to?” His lips curved up in a smile as the tigress deposited her prize into his open palm.

Just then, Yuri’s phone went off again.  With an annoyed growl and a roll of his eyes, he looked at the screen.  It was another message from Mila.

_‘The King’s headed your way.’_

Yuri groaned and let his head fall back, causing Pasha to let out a surprised mewl from beneath him.  _The King_.  That was the little nickname he and the other performers had given their most over-confident and annoying member of their troupe.  The self-proclaimed Future Ringleader – like Victor would retire any time soon – and the Jack-of-all-trades ‘King of the Ring,’ Jean-Jacques Leroy.

As if on cue, there was a rapping at Yuri’s dressing room door.  Without waiting for a response, his guest pushed the cracked door the rest of the way open and flashed him a wide, gaudy grin.

“Yuri-chan!” JJ beamed, using the nickname he _had_ to know Yuri hated.  He’d picked up the honorific from the Japanese Yuuri, the one Victor fell madly in love with after watching a viral video and just _had_ to scout.  “I hate to bother you-” No, he didn’t. “-but it seems as though one of your little darlings got into my dressing room and shredded one of my costumes.” JJ held up what once may have been a leotard, but it was sliced to ribbons.

Yuri’s gaze fell to the scrap of fabric Rayna had brought him.  It was a perfect match.

“That’s too bad,” Yuri replied innocently. _Too bad you weren’t still wearing it_ , he finished in his head.

“Yes, well, accidents happen,” JJ said as he tossed the ruined costume into the trash bin. “It’s a good thing I have four others just like it.” He gave a loud, cheery laugh and Yuri nearly gagged. “I missed you at the meeting.”

Yuri didn’t.  Sensing his annoyance, Rayna moved between her master and the other man.  JJ glanced down at her and offered another disgustingly perfect grin.

“Oh, don’t worry.” He stepped closer to the tigress, ignoring the way she tensed up. “I forgive you, Kitty.”  He reached out to pet her, but the moment his hand got close, she snapped at him.  He pulled it back quickly, checking for any damage, and breathing out a sigh of relief when he found none.  He cleared his throat.  “Anyway, I’d love to stay and chat, but I promised my fiancé that I’d call her before work her time.”

With that, _The King_ made his grand exit, leaving Yuri alone with the only members of the troupe whose company he truly enjoyed.  Rayna circled back and rubbed against him before resting her head on his lap.  Yuri smiled down at her and scratched her behind the ears.

“You need to stop attacking everyone, you know.”  She looked up at him with big amber eyes and he bit his lip. “Well, maybe attacking JJ is okay.” He snorted and she let out a self-satisfied purr.

His phone went off again and he thought about throwing it into the hallway, but he stopped when he saw the message.  Mila again.

_‘Victor’s coming to see you.  Best of luck, Yuratchka.’_

Shit.

He could deal with JJ or Victor, but not both and not in such rapid succession.  But it was too late to run away.  He could already hear the familiar clicking of designer boots growing louder as the ringmaster made his way down the hallway to his room.

“Yuri,” Victor greeted, arms folded over his chest and that fake smile plastered on his face. “We missed you at the meeting.” He stepped in and cocked his head to the side. “May I ask what was so important that you felt the need to skip it?”

“I was busy,” Yuri answered easily, avoiding the older man’s gaze.

“Ah, of course, I see.” He brought a hand to his chin. “Figuring out how to best set yourself on fire?”

His hair barely grazed the hoop.  It was just a little singed.  No one in the audience had noticed. But _of course_ Victor had.

“It won’t happen again.”

“I’m sure it won’t.” Victor uncrossed his arms and then jumped when Rayna snapped at him.  “Oh, sorry. I got too close.” He took a step back.

Despite his role as leader, Victor still respected the other entertainer’s boundaries, including his furrier employees.  Still, Yuri would have to scold Rayna for that later.  JJ was one thing, but she acted that way with anyone who wasn’t her master and that might get her into trouble one day.

“Anyway, you missed out on meeting our newest addition to the troupe,” Victor went on. “Mila and Sara have their claws in him now, but he’ll be swinging by in a bit to say ‘hello’.”

Great.  Just what Yuri wanted.  More visitors.

“Well, I have some paperwork to take care of.” The older man turned to leave, but stopped when he reached the doorway.  “Oh, and Yuri?” He turned to look over his shoulder.

“Yeah?”

“If you skip out on a meeting again, you’ll be banned from the ring for three performances,” he said, voice dark and tone serious. “Am I clear?”

Yuri muttered under his breath.

“I asked if I was clear.” It was moments like that when he really reminded Yuri of their previous ringmaster, the tough-as-nails Yakov Feltsman.

“Yes, Sir,” he answered, louder this time.

“Good.” Victor was all smiles again. “Make sure you put Pasha and Rayna back in the shed before the staff locks it up for the night.” And then he left.

Yuri stuck his tongue out, knowing the other couldn’t see.  He hated being treated like a child.  He may have been young back when Victor was their star, but he’d grown up and he deserved to be treated like an adult.

He was lost in his thoughts, a hand absently stroking Rayna’s back, when someone knocked on the door, startling him out of his daze.  The person didn’t immediately let themselves in, so Yuri figured it had to be the new guy.

“Come in,” he called, not bothering to get up.  A moment later, the door swung open and a dark-haired man entered.  He was maybe a little taller than Yuri, but he was broader.  He wore a leather jacket and dark jeans and, although his haircut was similar to JJ’s, Yuri found himself liking the way it looked on this man.  He had a strong jaw and a serious gaze and, when he spoke, his voice was deep yet soft.

“Hello.”

“Hey.” Yuri blinked up at him.  What else was he supposed to say?  Normally, people introduced themselves and then went on their way.  But this guy was just standing there, like he was waiting for something.  “May I help you?”

“No, I…forgive me.” The man, not much older than himself, raised a hand and rubbed the back of his neck. “I wouldn’t expect you to remember me.”

“Remember you?” Yuri furrowed his brow.

“I’m Otabek Altin,” he introduced himself with a slight bow. “I look forward to working with you, Yuri Plisetsky.”  He turned on his heel and made to leave, but Yuri called out to him.

“Wait a second.” He stood up, ignoring his tigers’ whines at his absence, and walked over to the other man.  “Have we met before?”

“A long time ago,” Otabek answered, facing him again. “When I was just getting into stunt work,” he explained. “We were in the same gymnastics class.”

Yuri tried to recall, but he was so focused on mastering his tumbling back then, he couldn’t picture any of his classmates’ faces.

“I’m sorry, I don’t remember,” he admitted.

“It’s alright. I wasn’t there for long,” Otabek said. “I had trouble with the finer movements and grew rather frustrated with it all.” He coughed, his cheeks tinting pink. “As it turned out, my talents lie in falling off of buildings and jumping out of airplanes.”

“Then...why are you here?” Yuri asked, puzzled.  He didn’t know much about the business, but stuntmen had to make good money.

“For once, I’d like to be the face behind the stunt.” Otabek sighed. “I wouldn’t mind stopping to enjoy the applause once in a while.”

Yuri couldn’t argue with that.  Nothing felt better than when the crowd was cheering his name, their eyes alight with wonder and their voices resonating in his ears.  He was pulled from his reverie when he felt something hit the back of his knee.  He turned just as Rayna padded over to them, obviously miffed that she wasn’t getting attention.

“Hello there.” Otabek regarded her, giving a gentle smile that should have seemed out of place on the stoic man’s face, yet he wore it well.

“Her name is Rayna,” Yuri began, watching as Otabek reached out to pet her. “But I wouldn’t do that, she tends to…” He trailed off when the tigress met the other man’s hand halfway, purring loudly as she nuzzled his hand.

“Good girl, Rayna.” Otabek bent down and scratched her under her chin.  Pasha, not one to be ignored, got up and sauntered over, bumping Yuri’s other knee as he fought to get to Otabek.  “I have two hands.” He chuckled and pet Pasha, who immediately rolled onto his back for tummy rubs.

Yuri watched the scene in rapt wonder.  Pasha let the handlers and a few of the other performers pat his head, but he'd never acted that way before.  And Rayna, well, he was still trying to figure that one out.

“They like me,” Otabek said and glanced up from his crouched position beside the large, purring balls of fur.

“Seems that way.” Yuri drew his brows down and puckered his lips, still trying to wrap his head around his tigers’ odd behavior.  Maybe Otabek was some sort of cat whisperer or something.

“Well, I should get going.” The other man gave each tiger a final pat before brushing the fur off of his hands.

“You’re leaving?” Yuri asked.  He was confused.  Victor had said that Otabek was joining them, hadn’t he?  Perhaps he'd changed his mind.  That was a shame.  Just when he thought there might be someone in the troupe with whom he could get along.

“I’m supposed to meet with my new partner for a tour before bed.”

Oh.  So, that's what he meant.  Yuri felt silly for not even asking what it was that Otabek would be doing as a part of their show.  Maybe he’d be working with the tumblers.  No, he said he hadn’t done gymnastics since.  Or maybe he was going to fly on the trapeze with the Crispino twins.  Or, heaven forbid, maybe he’d have to work with JJ.

“Emil seems like a nice guy,” Otabek continued and Yuri nodded.  That made sense.  Victor  _would_ stick a stuntman with their resident daredevil.  That might be interesting to watch.  “Hopefully we can talk again later.”

“Yeah.”

“Oh and-” Otabek reached forward, brushing some of Yuri’s hair from his face and gripping the singed end.  “You should probably start pulling your hair back so it won’t get in the way.” Then he quickly added. “If you don’t mind me saying so.” He tucked the hair behind Yuri’s ear and pulled his hand back.

“No, I don’t mind.” Yuri stared into the other man’s eyes, wishing he could remember more about him, even if they’d only been together for a short period of time back then.

“I just wanted to say that it’s admirable,” he continued, that small smile reappearing on his face. “A tamer performing the same feats as his animals.”

“Well, I can’t expect them to do it, if I won’t,” Yuri replied, his heart beating a little faster than he would have liked.

“And I respect that.” Otabek bent down and scratched both tigers behind the ears again. “And I believe they do, too.”

Yuri’s face felt hot all of a sudden and he averted his gaze, hoping the other wouldn’t notice.

“I’m sure Emil is looking for me.” He stood up and made his way toward the door. “It was good seeing you again, Yuri.” Otabek waved and walked out of the room, leaving a frazzled and confused Yuri in his wake.

He looked down to see Pasha still on the floor, his eyes closed and a pleased grin on his furry face.  Rayna just blinked up at him, her amber eyes wise beyond her years, seeming to peer into his very soul.

“Don’t give me that look,” he said, stuffing his hands into his pockets and taking a seat where he'd been before, sans a living tiger pillow.  He grabbed his phone and unlocked the screen, noticing that he'd received yet another message.

_‘Isn’t the new guy handsome?’_

Mila.  It beeped again.

_‘I think things might start to get pretty interesting around here.’_

Yuri set his phone in his lap and leaned back until his head hit the wall.  For once, he thought she might be right.

**Author's Note:**

> Ah, I love these two!! I think the idea of their friendship turning into something more is adorable.
> 
> Okay, for the name meanings:  
> Nikolai "Niko" the Lion - Victorious  
> Rayna the Tigress - Queen  
> Pasha the Tiger - Humble
> 
> Let me know what you think and hit me up on tumblr [@jubesy](http://jubesy.tumblr.com)!


End file.
